The Celtics dominated Game 1 of the NBA Finals, defeating the Mavericks 107-89, while shutting down Dallas on both ends of the court at the TD Garden on Thursday night.

Jaylen Brown led the way for Boston with 22-points on an efficient 7-of-12 shooting and also had three steals and three blocks while having a majority of the defensive assignments on Luka Dončić.

Boston also benefited from Kristaps Porzingis’ return, as he played in his first game since the first round of the playoffs, a total of 38 days and two full playoff series leading into the NBA Finals.

Porzingis scored 20-points on 8-of-13 shooting and six rebounds- all defensive- in 21-minutes off the bench. He will be coming off the bench again in Game 2, as he told Malik’s Andrews of ESPN.

It’s worth mentioning that Sam Hauser found his shooting rhythm and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Celtics. Hauser finished the game 3-of-4 shooting with making both of his attempts from behind the arc.

Hauser was cold throughout the Eastern Conference Finals, going 1-of-14 on 3-pointers over his last four games prior to the Finals. If he’s able to continue this momentum in Game 2, it’ll prove to be too much for the Mavericks to handle.

That said, Boston shouldn’t rush to make any adjustments for Game 2 and should wait to see what Dallas does. The C’s did a great job of limiting passing lanes and assist opportunities, only allowing nine assists in Game 1 and held Dončić to only making one assist- he averaged 9.8 in the regular season and 8.4 throughout the playoffs.

Boston also only allowed Dallas to make seven 3-pointers (7-of-27 3P FG) while they went on to make 16 of their own (16-of-42 3P FG). The 27-point variance in a game lost by 18-points is was a huge factor in this game and moving forward in this series.

The key for Boston in Game 2 is going to be on the defensive end. They’ll need to continue to limit Kyrie Iriving and Dončić, ball movement, and assist opportunities. The best way to do so is by switching and remaining disciplined with the concept of limiting bad matchups on Al Horford and Porzingis.

Offensively, make the open shots and the easy shots (14-of-35 on open looks) and Brown also missed five free throws.

Game 2 is Sunday at 8:00 PM from the TD Garden.

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Photo Credit: Joe Murphy, NBAE Getty Images